Warmth and Security
by Safaia Bara
Summary: There's only one thing that seems to calm Anna's nightmares. Too bad it doesn't belong to her. But perhaps something- or someone- else can do a better job?


Hi all! Trying my hand in the Frozen fandom this time. I saw the movie when it first came out, and fell in love with it then. I watched it a few weeks ago and fell in love with it all over again.

I'm going to try to post the next chapter of LLF sometime this month. Real life has gotten in the way for a looong time.

Warning- there is enough Kristanna fluff in here to rot your teeth.

Disclaimer: I do not own Frozen. The characters and story are the property of Walt Disney Pictures.

* * *

Warmth and Security

 _A warm, magical feeling spread throughout her body- it started from her lips, down to her chest, then out to her limbs, from the crown of her head to the tips of her fingers and toes._

 _Kristoff's lips were soft and sweet against her own, making her feel safe and loved._

 _As she pulled back from the kiss, she stared deeply into the ice harvester's molten chocolate eyes, eyes that made her heart melt, and ran her fingers through his blond locks, pushing them out of his face._

 _"Kristoff, I love you."_

 _"Oh, Anna." Kristoff's voice, husky, strong, and full of emotion, started to change. It became light and mocking, and very, horribly familiar._

 _They were no longer standing on the docks of Arendelle. A cold chill swept through her bones as she found herself in the room that was almost her demise._

 _"Wh-What's going on? K-_ _Kristoff_ _?" she whispered in terror._

 _"If only-" the man's bulky frame shrank, his toned muscles thinned and became more lanky. His facial features also changed- he went paler as his face became gaunt, hauntingly creepy. His boyish grin twisted into a sneer that made her stomach drop. He pulled away from their sweet embrace, a smaller pair of hands grabbed her roughly by the tops of her arms._

 _"-there was someone out there-" his beautiful, golden-blond hair shortened and turned a fiery, hellish red. And instead of staring into Kristoff's amazing brown eyes, she was pinned down by forest green eyes filled with a burning hatred and jealousy._

 _"No..."_

 _"-who loved you..."_

 _Darkness._

Anna woke with a start. She blearily looked out her window to see the sun peeking from behind the mountains in the distance. She let out a wide, shaky yawn as her breathing slowed.

The "Great Thaw", as it had been dubbed, had been just a week ago, and that was the fourth time she'd had that same nightmare since the incident. Things had been such a whirlwind lately that sleep had been evading her.

"At least I was able to get through the night this time," she muttered, stretching her arms over her head, then dropping them. She felt something clutched in her hand. Looking down, she smiled softly at the knit cap.

Kristoff's cap.

Since the day of Hans' capture and banishment, the ice harvester had been given an open invitation to stay at the castle. Elsa had not needed much persuasion. "Kristoff's the one who protected me in the mountains and brought me back home." The queen remembered him from her castle of ice, and from what she'd seen of him, he seemed trustworthy enough- much more than Hans.

That first night, Anna had snuck downstairs after everyone was asleep.

She'd seen it earlier...where was...there!

Kristoff's hat was sitting on a bench in the main hall. Planning on returning it the next day, she brought it back up to her room and, too tired to do anything else, fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow, his hat tucked against her chest.

Ever since then, she hadn't had the opportunity to give it back to him...or so she told herself. In all honesty, she didn't want to give it back. It made her feel safe, like the security blanket she'd had as a young girl. It also reminded her of what Olaf had said to her.

 _"Love is...putting someone else's needs before yours. Like, you know, how Kristoff brought you back here to Hans and left you forever."_ Even though she had been fading in and out of consciousness the whole trip back to Arendelle, she clearly remembered him placing the hat on her head and pulling her closer to his body to keep her as warm as possible.

She brought the cap up to her face and inhaled deeply. There was a scent of fresh snow, clean mountain air, pine, and something that was purely Kristoff. She had no idea where the trolls had gotten the idea that he was "smelly". Or how Olaf had ever thought that he was a "pungent reindeer King". He smelled incredible.

Hearing a shuffling noise outside, she quickly hid the hat under her pillow. Elsa had caught her with it a couple of days prior and had given her fair share of sisterly teasing already. It was a pleasant surprise to see Elsa so open with her, joking around and such...even if it was at her expense. The look of sheer joy on her sister's face was well worth it.

And if Elsa was comfortable with her being near Kristoff, then who was she to argue? She was the sensible, down-to-earth sister who was able to read people extremely well.

Once the movement had passed, Anna dressed quickly and quietly. Getting caught with it again was not something she wanted to experience. Perhaps it was early enough where she could sneak it back into Kristoff's room with no one being the wiser.

Peeking her head out of her bedroom door, she tiptoed down the hall to the staircase, still in her slippers. She decided against sliding down the banister, opting to taking the stairs, making sure to skip the third step from the bottom- it creaked.

She made it to Kristoff's guest room, right below hers, without incident. She slowly turned the doorknob, wincing when she heard the click. She let out a sigh of relief when there was no noise, but froze mid-breath. No sound.

No rustle of sheets.

No padding of feet on the hardwood floor.

No snoring.

No breathing at all.

Cracking the door open further, she peered inside to find the room in perfect order, the floor immaculate, the bed un-slept in. The room looked unused.

"He left? Without so much as a goodbye? Did the kiss mean nothing to him?" That kiss was amazing! She couldn't have imagined her first kiss being any better.

Anna started hyperventilating, that is, until she noticed his winter coat, vest, and gloves laying on a nearby chaise lounge. She let out a sigh of relief.

"So, he's still around here somewhere...but where?" she thought for a moment, "With Sven most likely."

So, hat still in hand, she ran down the hall, not bothering to close the door behind her.

Skidding through the corridors in her slippers, she made it out to the stables in record time. The door was already open. She crept inside to find a sleeping Kristoff laying in a pile of hay next to a snoring Sven. He was curled up on his side with his hands pillowing his head. It was the most adorable thing she'd seen, save the look of pure horror marring his handsome face.

He was mumbling in his sleep, "No...I didn't mean...Anna, please...no..." It looked like he was in physical pain.

Anna knelt beside his tortured form and rested a hand on his shoulder to wake him. Before she had the chance to shake him, one of his burly hands shot out and grasped her wrist securely. She let out a small gasp but didn't try to pull away.

"I'm so sorry...I thought...Hans was supposed to...he's her...true love..." her heart broke a little more with every word. Only Elsa knew what Hans has said to her in that room, and right now, she knew that she needed to tell Kristoff the truth.

"Anna...I'm sorry...please come back...I love you..." Anna's breath caught in her throat. 'He loves me!' Sure, Olaf had said it before, but to hear it from Kristoff's lips sent a whole new wave of emotions through her.

Easing her arm out of his grasp, she leaned closer and pressed her lips to his cheek and whispered in his ear, "Don't worry, I'm right here, Kristoff. And I'm not going anywhere." The small smile that graced his face in sleep made her stomach flip.

"But I think it's time to wake up," she giggled softly, pulling away. Kristoff's eyes fluttered open and he yelped in shock when he saw how close Anna's face was to his.

"Oh, uh, Anna! H-hi! Good morning! You're up early." He bolted up into a sitting position, nearly bumping her forehead with his. She giggled at his flustered expression. It was then that she noticed his shirt laying out on the haystack behind him. That meant...

Her face flushed a bright pink when she saw his toned biceps and muscular chest free from the confines of his usual bulky clothes. Averting her gaze, she saw pieces of hay sticking out haphazardly from his mop of blond hair. Laughing again, she began plucking the strands of straw out, "So, I take it you don't like your room?"

"No, no. It's...it's great..." he yawned, scratching the back of his head, "I guess I'm just used to the fresh air."

Anna wrinkled her nose and looked around the stable, "Yeah, fresh air, right."

Kristoff grinned and patted the spot next to him, "So, was there a reason you were looking for me so early in the morning?"

She quickly hid his hat in the pocket of her summer dress and sat down next to him, "Oh, um, no reason. Elsa is going to be busy with, you know, queen stuff, and I was hoping we could spend the day together."

Kristoff arched a brow, "So, if Elsa isn't available, I'm your backup plan?" he teased.

"No! Of course not!"

He placed a hand on her shoulder, "Anna, I'm kidding. Did you have anything particular in mind?"

The princess' eyes lit up. "You know, the courtyard hasn't thawed yet. It's still an ice rink- would you mind giving me some skating lessons?" she snickered, "Then again, I saw you wobbling around out there the other day. For someone who claims that ice is his life, you aren't very graceful walking on it, are you?"

"Hey! That was all Sven's fault. He tripped me."

"Sure he did. So, you wanna teach me?"

The blond shrugged, "Sure. That sounds like a challenge. I'm game," he smirked.

"Hey!"

Kristoff scratched an itch on his chest, but stopped mid-scratch when he realized he was shirtless. His face flushed deep red as he grasped blindly behind him, "Uh...he he...oops."

Anna looked away and squeaked, "Okay then. I'll let you get ready and I'll see you in twenty minutes..."

"Alright, sounds...sounds good."

* * *

Perhaps it would have been better if Anna had let Elsa teach her how to skate.

It was true that Kristoff was better at walking on ice than she'd first anticipated. However, strap a pair of skates on his feet, and he was just as clumsy as her. After half an hour- and multiple collisions resulting in the princess falling on top of the ice harvester in very awkward positions- the couple decided to end the lesson. They sat on the ledge of one of the courtyard's fountains and removed their skates.

"So...that was fun..." Anna grinned.

Kristoff rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed, "Yeah, well, I think my tailbone is gonna be bruised for a while from landing on it so much."

The princess blushed, "Thanks...for breaking my fall...every time."

He smiled sweetly, "Of course. I'd never want to see you get hurt." Neither of them missed the double meaning in that statement.

Kristoff looked into her blue eyes. They were lovely as ever, but he noticed deep, dark bags hanging under them.

"Anna, are you alright? You look exhausted."

Anna sighed, "I'm fine, I just didn't get a lot of sleep last night."

"Was it the nightmare again?" She nodded. "Do you want to talk about it?" She paused, then nodded again.

"But not here."

Kristoff agreed. Without the blades, the blond easily tread across the ice. He was halfway to the giant oak doors before he looked behind him to find Anna clutching the edge of the fountain for dear life, her feet slipping every which way- even without the skates- as she tried to gain her balance. He smiled fondly and strode back to the fountain.

Sneaking up behind her, he swiftly scooped her up into his arms like she weighed no more than a feather. He grinned when she squeaked in surprise.

"Kristoff!"

"Hey, if I let you keep that up, we wouldn't get back into the castle until dark."

The princess pouted and crossed her arms over her chest, but didn't argue. She knew he was most likely right.

After entering the castle, Kristoff headed in the direction of the library, a place where Anna wanted to be as far away from as possible.

"No!" she burst out, startling Kristoff into nearly dropping her.

"What?"

"Not the library. Can we go to my room?"

Kristoff looked at her quizzically, but seeing the fear in her eyes, he relented, "Are you sure? It's not exactly...appropriate."

"Please?"

Kristoff didn't say anything, but Anna let out a sigh of relief when he changed course and headed toward the staircase.

Getting to the room didn't take nearly long enough for Anna. Even though she knew she had to talk about the nightmare with Kristoff, that didn't make it any easier. Once they arrived, the blond man set Anna down on the bed and knelt in front of her, hold her hands in his.

"Now, what's been going on? What's this nightmare that's been bothering you so much?" he could feel her body shaking, "You know you can tell me anything, right?"

"It's hard to talk about it with you because, well, you're in it." He looked at her in shock and disappointment.

She squeezed his hands, "No, no! Not like that," she took a deep, calming breath and smiled, "You're the only good part of the dream. It starts out with us kissing on the docks. It feels so realistic. I feel warm and tingly and just happy. But then we start talking-" she omitted the part about her confession, obviously, "-and everything starts to change. I'm in the library, you're not you, it's cold-"

"Anna, Anna! Slow down! What do you mean I'm not me?"

The strawberry blonde took another deep breath, "Maybe I should explain a little more. It happened after I was taken into the castle when I was freezing. Hans was in the library talking to the other dignitaries when they brought me in. They left us alone-" they both cringed, "-and I explained everything to him, and that I needed a 'true love's kiss' to save me. He...didn't kiss me. He...said some things and left.

"In my nightmare, you...you transform into him. And you say the same things he said to me," she shuddered as a few tears slid down her cheeks. On pure instinct, Kristoff lifted one of his hands and wiped the tears away.

"Anna, what exactly did he say to you?" his eyes narrowed but his voice was calm.

"He said...he said that he was just using me. He talked about how he's thirteenth in line and would need to marry in order to rule a kingdom. He leaned in like he was about to kiss me, but pulled away instead. He said..."

"He said?"

"Um..."

"Anna, please, I need to know what else he said," Kristoff looked like he was about to swim all the way to the Southern Isles and show Hans what a life of hard labor can do to a man's body.

"He said that...no one loves me..."

"Oh, Anna. You know that's not true."

"Yeah, I know..."

"Anna..."

"I know! I just can't get his words out of my head, okay!" she hiccupped, "I can't..."

Pushing down the urge to beat Hans to a bloody pulp, Kristoff joined Anna on the bed, moving one of his hands to cup her cheek.

Growing up in the mountains, he was definitely not used to human contact. In fact, before a week ago, he wanted nothing to do with anyone of the same species as him. But, somehow, everything he did just seemed natural with Anna. Touching her, comforting her, kissing her, it was all so easy.

"Anna, look at me. You can't believe anything that liar said. Hans was a snake. No one with a decent bone in their body could do what he did or say what he said," an idea struck him, "Close your eyes."

She arched a brow curiously.

"Please?"

She gave his a small smile and closed her eyes. Once again she squealed when he swept her up into his arms.

"Hm, I like that sound," he chuckled.

"Hey!"

* * *

A few minutes of walking later, Anna heard the click of a lock and the creak of a door opening.

"Keep them closed."

Kristoff set her down on what felt like a couch. She could feel the sun on her face as the cushion dipped next to her.

"Now, Anna, tell me what happened."

"I did."

"Everything."

"But-"

"Anna, please, I want to help you. But I can't if you don't tell me what he did," he begged, cupping her cheek gently.

Anna sighed, "Okay. After I mentioned the act of true love, he leaned in close an lifted my chin towards him."

"Like this?" She felt Kristoff's large, calloused fingers tilt her chin up until she could feel his warm breath on her lips.

"Y-yes," she gulped.

"Then what?"

"Then he said 'Oh Anna, if only there was someone out there who loved you', and pulled awa-"

Before she could finish, Kristoff's lips covered hers completely. They were soft and gentle, and they stole her breath away.

Within moments she responded, threading her fingers through his hair and grasping the back of his head. She pressed her lips to his hard, afraid that this was another nightmare and he would vanish if she let go.

Eventually, they had to come up for air. Anna opened her eyes and looked around.

"Wh-why are we in the library?" she stuttered. She was sitting on the same couch where Hans had left her. But this time, Kristoff sat, grinning, next to her.

"Because, now when you walk into the library, instead of thinking of _him_ ," he spat out the word 'him' like a curse, "you will think about us and that amazing kiss we just had," he finished with a sweet smile that made her heart melt.

She grinned and grabbed the collar of his shirt, pulling him down into another heated kiss, which he happily returned.

"And that one," she smirked, pulling away.

His excited smile suddenly turned hesitant, "So, did, um, did you and that rat ever actually kiss...at all..?"

Anna smiled, "No, our kiss on the docks was my first kiss ever."

"I'm glad," he said, before mumbling something she couldn't quite catch.

"What was that? I didn't hear you."

"It was my first kiss, too," he blushed.

"Really?" the princess chirped in surprise.

"Yeah, you were the first person I've talked to in years where the conversation didn't revolve only around ice or money," he confessed, rubbing the back of his neck, embarrassed.

"I'm glad."

Kristoff grinned and pulled her into his lap, wrapping his arms around her lithe waist. She leaned the crown of her head against his strong, toned chest. He pressed his lips to the nape of her neck. He soon felt a bulge in the pocket of her dress. He pulled away and looked down at her.

"What's this?"

"Oh, nothing. Nothing at all." She glanced up at him through her eyelashes. But the bright blush that ran from her neck to her hairline told him otherwise.

"Really? Can I see it, then?"

"No."

Kristoff pouted playfully, "Why not?"

"It's really not all that interesting," she deflected, trying to squirm out of his grasp.

"I think I should be the judge of what I think is or isn't interesting," he smirked and held her tighter. Without warning, his lips were on hers again, distracting her enough for him to reach around and pull whatever it was out of her pocket.

The kiss lasted longer than he anticipated, but he wasn't complaining. When he was finally able to pull away, they were both breathless. He looked at what was in his hand.

"My hat?" He looked back at Anna, but she averted her gaze, suddenly finding her fingers very interesting, and blushed ten shades of red, "Anna?"

"I...um, I've been meaning to return it to you, but..." she trailed off, embarrassed, "I kind of want to keep it. It reminds me of you..."

A smug smile found its way onto Kristoff's face, "It does?"

She nodded, "It smells like you, and it reminds me that you care about me. You were willing to brave the cold just to keep me warm."

"I would do anything for you, Anna," He placed the hat on her head and grinned, "It looks better on you, anyway."

She laughed. After a moment of comfortable silence, Anna placed her hands on either side of Kristoff's head and gave him a gentle, chaste kiss. When she pulled away, she had a coy, hesitant smile on her face.

"There's one more part of the dream that I didn't mention."

The blond man noticed that she said "dream" instead of "nightmare", so hopefully that was a good thing.

He gently rubbed her back, urging her on, "Yeah?"

She looked away again, "Um...after our kiss I...I make a confession. And...the thing is, I want to make that confession now, but I'm scared. It may be too soon to say anything."

Kristoff knew where this conversation was headed. And he knew that he felt the same way.

Why else would he have stayed with her throughout their entire journey?

Why else would he have raced back to Arendelle when he thought she was in danger?

Why else had he nearly been in tears at the sight of her form frozen solid?

Why else would his heart leap into his throat whenever he saw her face, a chill run down his spine whenever she said his name, or his skin tingle whenever she touched him?

Why else would he have kissed her?

He cupped her cheek and tilted her head so he could look into her eyes.

"You don't have to say anything. I know exactly how you feel."

Anna stared at him in disbelief, "How in the world could you possibly know how I feel?" The question was more hopeful than accusatory.

He took a deep breath and pressed his forehead against hers, "Because...I love you, too, Anna."

"Wh-what?" Her eyes widened in shock. For once, Princess Anna of Arendelle was speechless.

Unfortunately, Kristoff took her silence as rejection. He slowly pulled back, eyes closed, and loosened his grip on her waist.

"Sorry, I'm so sorry," he whispered, dropping his gaze. He covered his eyes with one of his large hands.

Anna pulled his hand away from his face and held it in both of hers, "What? Why?"

"I-I shouldn't have assumed...I just thought that...why did I open my big mouth?"

Anna smiled and pressed a finger to his lips, "Kristoff, I was going to say that even though I'm scared, I know I need to trust my heart. And my heart is telling me that...I love you."

The blonds' head snapped up to look at her. Chocolate brown eyes met crystal blue, and Kristoff's mouth dropped open.

"Huh?"

She grinned at the dumbfounded expression on his face.

"I." She pointed to herself, "Love." She pressed a hand over her heart, "You." She placed both of her hands on his chest, covering his own heart.

Her smile softened when his hands rested over hers.

"You don't know how thrilled I am to hear you say that," he beamed.

"I think I may have an idea," she giggled and leaned in. She waited, a bit impatiently, for another kiss, and he quickly, enthusiastically obliged.


End file.
